The risk of injury to a nerve is a concern when performing surgical procedures, including minimally-invasive procedures, within close proximity to the spine or nerves. Surgeons increasingly rely on neuromonitoring techniques to monitor the nerves during such surgeries in order to avoid inadvertently injuring or contacting a nerve. Prior devices have been developed to help surgeons avoid contacting and damaging nerves during these procedures, but improvements are needed for enhancing the accuracy and speed of those devices.
Devices and methods are particularly needed for providing quick and safe neuromonitoring during surgery. Such devices should provide precise information regarding the proximity of nerves to surgical instruments or the integrity of vertebral bone quickly in order to provide early warning and avoid damage to the nerves. Both patient safety and the time required to provide the necessary information to the surgeon can be improved by reducing the number of electrical stimulations delivered to a patient or measurements that are required to produce an indication of nerve proximity or bone integrity.